


A Family's Lesson in the Art of Protection and Learning

by Books_Forever



Series: The Memories Left In-Between [2]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: But he there, Eventual Romance, Everyone is just done with Black Sheep at this point lol, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Gray is like, I love the mental image of Player and Black Sheep just fangirling together or something, I mean cough cough what, Kinda, Misunderstandings, Props to Countess Cleo for being helpful for once, Shadowsan will find out about Gray and murder him I promise, They are besties I stan by their friendship, VILE family, again kinda, offscreen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26301067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Books_Forever/pseuds/Books_Forever
Summary: Black Sheep has been asked out on a date. A date with Gray, her best friend. And while normally she'd be happy spending time with her best friend, all she felt was confusion because what on Earth was a date?! (What is Valentine's Day too for that matter?!) So now, she's on a clock to find out what exactly she agreed to before the "date" with Gray began, and Black Sheep's honestly not having any luck with figuring things out.If only the VILE faculty would cooperate with her and tell her what she needs.---Or the one where Black Sheep is out of her element the entire day, the VILE Faculty is in turns shocked and amused, and Shadowsan helps even though he'd rather do anything but.
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Shadowsan, Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep/Gray | Crackle
Series: The Memories Left In-Between [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853173
Comments: 20
Kudos: 144





	A Family's Lesson in the Art of Protection and Learning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [She's Too Good for You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18402704) by [ko_chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ko_chan/pseuds/ko_chan). 



_Now, who to ask?_

When Black Sheep wanted to know more about something, her first choice would usually be Gray. He was always happy to be of help, and with relatively little teasing to boot! She wouldn’t be able to ask him this time though, as the matter concerned him. 

Black Sheep’s second choice would usually be her best outside-of-school friend, Player, who was always happy to teach her about the things she missed out on growing up. And while she was tempted to ask him, Black Sheep ultimately decided not to since obviously what Gray had asked was common knowledge that everyone _should_ know, and she’d rather not have Player question her or think less of her from this question.

Her third choice, if she was desperate, would be the rest of the Vile Squad, which was a big no this time for several reasons. Sheena would most likely make fun of her and refuse to tell her, while Jean and Antonia would tell her, but still make fun of her. All three would definitely tell Gray about the conversation, which automatically made all of them not an option.

Her last choice, which she tended to avoid due to wanting to be independent and not have them think her naive, was the Vile Staff. After all, the staff was like family to her, and she had grown up with them. Seeing as Black Sheep had no other options at the moment, she decided to go ask her pseudo-mom, Coach Brunt, as Black Sheep had always been closest to her out of all staff (which she always suspected was because Coach Brunt had been the one to find her as a baby).

And with those thoughts, Black Sheep set off to Coach Brunt during the first break she had during the day.

* * *

Those who knew Coach Brunt knew that when she wasn’t teaching her classes during the school day, she was most likely in the gym or the staff kitchen. Those that had been privy to Coach’s everyday lifestyle knew that Coach Brunt usually went to the staff kitchen after her first class to get some sweets. 

And as usual, that’s where Coach Brunt had situated herself, finding herself in need of those sugars after having one too many of her students get sent to the infirmary due to blatant teenage stupidity.

_Ah, those kids will be the death of me someday._

Just as Coach was contemplating whether stuffing another cookie would be bad for her workout routine or not, she hears a knock at the door. Seconds later, it opens, and in comes her precious Lambikins.

Coach Brunt walks up to her and gives her a smothering hug. “Aww, Lambkins, you came to visit little ol’ Mama Bear? Well, ain’t that precious,” Coach shouts, making sure to squeeze the little munchkin extra hard.

Once Coach Brunt finally lets go, Black Sheep looks to her with an uncharacteristically nervous smile, playing with her hands. “Good morning, Coach Brunt. How are you on this fine day?”

_Oooh, this kid’s definitely got something to ask. Did she steal Bellum’s crackle rod again? Oooh, I’d love to see the look on that scientist’s face once she found it missing again._

Coach takes a step back, raising an eyebrow. “Now, now, Lambkins, you know better than to beat around the bush with me. Come out with it already. What did you do this time? If anyone’s causing you trouble, you know you can always talk to Mama Bear, ain’t that right?”

Black Sheep, bless the girl, nodded in agreement, and took a deep breath. “Don’t worry, Coach, no one’s bothering me per se. I just . . . had some questions I needed to ask you in the name of research and collaborating more intensively with my peers.”

Coach keeps the questioning look on her face, urging Black Sheep to continue.

“Well, I was wondering what Valentine’s Day is? All the students in the academy are having a big hype about it while I haven’t the slightest clue what it is.”

_. . . What in tarnation have these students been telling her?!_

This was bad. These students were corrupting her poor little Lambkins into their horrendous schemes and _romances_! Coach Brunt absolutely could not let this continue on.

Coach places her hands on Black Sheep’s shoulder and pulls her in. “Black Sheep, Valentine’s Day is an evil plot out to corrupt you and you should not listen to anything anyone has to say about this matter. You will absolutely take no part in this day, and if anyone tries to get you involved, you tell them to come talk to Mama Bear over here, and I’ll handle them with one good punch square in the jaw. Is that clear?” 

Black Sheep, eyes widened and mouth open, nods along with Coach’s measured tone.

Coach nods approvingly. “Good. Now that we’ve settled that, I do believe you have a class you need to be getting to Lambkins. Can’t be late for that, can you?” Coach Brunt pushes Black Sheep over to the door, ignoring her protests. “Now, I’ll talk to you later, Lambkins. For now, do well to ignore everyone who talks about this day, alright?”

“But-” Coach closes the door before she can continue and then proceeds to go look for more sweets. She sighs and rubs her eyes.

 _They grow up so fast_.

* * *

When Dr. Saera Bellum, a genius inventor and scientist for Vile Academy, had woken up this morning, she had _not_ expected the visit she would receive during lunch. While Dr. Bellum has come to expect many things from Black Sheep over the years, asking about dates and ugh, _romance_ was not something she ever expected to have to deal with. 

Quite clearly, the girl had to have gone mad. Dr. Bellum was the last person to come ask about romance, and she couldn’t quite understand just why Black Sheep thought it would be a good idea to ask her about Valentine’s Day of all subjects! Dr. Bellum was quite clearly a rational realist, not a silly romantic, yet Black Sheep somehow decided it to be smart to visit her.

When Black Sheep came to visit her, Dr. Bellum had been in the lab, working on her latest invention (specifically on a new working sound device for subliminal messages that, if finished, would be of great aid to VILE). She was so immersed in her project that Dr. Bellum didn’t notice Black Sheep bypass her security and sneak in, so when she turned around to find Black Sheep standing there sheepishly, she got a mini heart attack.

“Black Sheep!” Dr. Bellum narrowed her eyes as she spoke. “What exactly are you doing here, young lady? I hope this isn’t another one of your pranks, because if so, I will have to ask you to leave immediately.”

Black Sheep is quick to refute her claims, shaking her head no hurriedly and fiddling with her fingers. “No! No. I came here to . . . ask you some questions Dr. Bellum. I tried asking Coach Brunt about this earlier, but she . . . didn’t answer me.”

The scientist raised an eyebrow. _Coach Brunt didn’t answer her?_ Coach Brunt was usually happy to go along with whatever Black Sheep wanted, and was highly overprotective of her despite Black Sheep’s obvious capability and ability. 

“Well, alright, then. Spit it out. I don’t have the time to play any games, so please make this short, Black Sheep,” retorted Dr. Bellum.

The girl in question twiddled her thumbs some more, making Dr. Bellum feel annoyed. She would prefer the young girl just spit out her question and leave her alone. Dr. Bellum is _this_ close to calibrating the mind control brain waves into the frequency of the machine, and she needs to focus to be able to finish.

“Well, you see . . . I was wondering . . . what Valentine’s Day is? And what a date is? Is it like the date on a calendar? And what does Valentine’s Day have to do with a ‘date’? Is it some kind of, I don’t know, fight or duel against someone?” Black Sheep unleashes the questions one after the other in a hurried manner without taking a breath.

Dr. Bellum blinks once. Then blinks again. _Ah._ Dr. Bellum knows how overprotective Coach Brunt can be, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t answer for fear of her baby being taken away.

Dr. Bellum promptly bursts out laughing from the questions. She spots Black Sheep looking confused and a little hurt at the outburst, so Dr. Bellum tries her best to contain herself, though it takes a few moments. 

Once she’s finally got all the laughter out of her system, Dr. Bellum turns to Black Sheep with an amused expression. “Black Sheep, really? This isn’t a prank or another one of your incessant jokes?”

Black Sheep shakes her head no.

 _Well then._ Dr. Bellum takes a deep breath and opens her mouth. “I do believe I am the last one you should be asking this about, Black Sheep. I don’t have much experience with the holiday, nor do I find it appealing at all. To me, it’s more of a distraction than anything.”

Black Sheep stares at her wordlessly, unsure how to respond. Dr. Bellum sighs. “Look, Black Sheep, it would do you better to ask someone else about this. But if you must know, Valentine’s Day is a day where people celebrate romance on, often to a person one is romantically involved with or attracted to, through the sending of gifts and chocolate.”

Black Sheep’s eyes widen. Her mouth opens, then closes, seeming unsure what to make of this. Her cheeks seem to flush a bit as she seems to ponder the information given to her.

“Yes, as you can see, this is why I am not the best person to ask regarding this subject. I suggest you go to Countess Cleo for any further questions you might have Black Sheep because as enlightening this conversation has been, I would like to stop talking about this subject and get back to my work,” Dr. Bellum dryly comments. She turns back to her work, not wanting to continue the conversation and knowing full well Black Sheep is quite capable of leaving the lab on her own. 

Just as Dr. Bellum is about to focus back on the invention in front of her, a thought occurs. She turns back to Black Sheep, who still seems dazed, but is walking back to the door of her lab.

“Black Sheep!” Dr. Bellum calls out. Black Sheep turns to her questioningly. “What caused you to ponder and ask such questions in the first place? Did something happen?” 

Black Sheep face morphs into surprise, and she opens her mouth. Just as she’s about to speak, she hesitates and closes her mouth. She seems to think for a moment, then opens her mouth again.

“Well, today is apparently Valentine’s Day. All the students in the academy were making a ruckus and acting weird, so I was wondering what was going on. You know me, way too curious for my own good!” Black Sheep nervously laughs along with her statement, causing Dr. Bellum to narrow her eyes. If Black Sheep didn’t want to speak the truth, it wasn’t Dr. Bellum’s business to figure out what she was hiding. 

“I see. You’d think the students would be more mature about this, considering it is a thief academy.” Dr. Bellum sighed. “Well, good day Black Sheep.”

Dr. Bellum nods towards her then turns back to her lab table, signaling the conversation over. After a moment, she hears the lab door close, and Dr. Bellum wonders, not for the first time, what precisely the faculty was thinking when they chose to raise a child on this island.

She sighs, deciding not to think any more about the conundrum that is Black Sheep, instead choosing to focus back onto her machine. 

Science, after all, was much more reliable and predictable than people.

* * *

Dr. Gunnar Maelstrom prided himself on his ability to terrorize and manipulate VILE Academy’s students, watching, often with sadistic amusement, as they feared and avoided him. As a result, he rarely had students come after classes for questions or extra credit that usually resulted in annoying chatter, and he quite liked it that way. 

Of course, the one exception to this situation was the only exception VILE has ever had in its history: Black Sheep. She often came to him for questions, though never staying for long. She wasn’t scared of him exactly, though she did seem to be guarded against him, which is more than he can say as a whole of all of VILE’s students. Her whole existence is, quite clearly, an exception to VILE; otherwise, she would have been dead long ago. So, of course, the young thief did still manage to surprise him a fateful day as he walked down the halls of the academy after one of his classes.

Dr. Maelstrom had been in a good mood at the time, amused by his students’ reactions as he explained the workings of a human mind, and used a student as an example of manipulation to get what a thief wants. The poor student chosen had been so shaken by the end of it that he had excused himself without so much as a warning.

 _How shameful,_ Dr. Maelstrom thinks as he walks back to the faculty room. _If they were truly to become professional thieves then they should be able to withstand this, at the least._

Dr. Maelstrom smirks and continues down the hall with his hands behind his back, eyeing the fearful students that just happened to be walking by.

Just as Dr. Maelstrom was about to turn down a hallway after stopping a student and lecturing them on the responsibilities of being a thief (his behavior quite clearly showed him about to do something highly inappropriate for VILE’s institution), he gets bumped into by a student turning hurriedly. The student, after standing up and regaining their bearings, reveals herself to be Black Sheep. 

Dr. Maelstrom raises his eyebrows.

Black Sheep finally recognizes him, and her posture becomes even more closed off. She seemed to be in a nervous and confused state, causing her to hurry down the halls. “Dr. Maelstrom, sir! I apologize! I should’ve watched where I was going, sir,” she exclaimed quickly.

Dr. Maelstrom rubs his forehead. Being around Black Sheep always ended up with a headache, if Dr. Maelstrom were to be frank, and he would rather not deal with her while he’s still in a good mood. Despite this, he’s quite curious as to what is causing her to be in this nervous state, so he waves off her apologies and decides to indulge his curiosity.

“What exactly were you doing, Black Sheep, rushing off into the halls?” questioned Dr. Maelstrom. He doubted it was another prank, given her behavior, though one could never be too sure with her.

She blinked up at him. _She’s even more nervous now. Interesting . . ._

“Well, sir, I was looking for Countess Cleo,” Black Sheep replied, seemingly ready to bolt. “In fact, I should probably be getting to that, so excuse me.”

Dr. Maelstrom holds his hands to stop her, smiling as he looks at her. “Now, now. I don’t believe there is any need to rush, Black Sheep. Why exactly are you looking for Countess Cleo?”

Black Sheep wrings her hands nervously. _Hm, perhaps she did something to anger Cleo? Goodness knows what would happen if Black Sheep tried to vandalize her priceless garbage._

“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask you, sir, instead.” Dr. Maelstrom raises an eyebrow. _Ask?_ “I was going to Countess Cleo to ask her specifically about Valentine’s Day and dates.”

That shut Maelstrom up quite quickly.

In fact, Dr. Maelstrom regretted asking at all. And it showed quite clearly on his face, considering how Black Sheep was looking at him. He sighed. “I had almost forgotten about the dreadful day. Romance is nothing, Black Sheep, in the large scheme of things.” He raises an eyebrow. “It’s unlike you to take an interest in these things at all.”

Black Sheep, who had seemed amused by his reaction, quickly clammed up. “Well, sir, I was curious, and I don’t like the idea of my peers knowing something I don’t know.”

Dr. Maelstrom nodded. He knew that to be true about Black Sheep, though something more seemed to be going on. Considering how she was going to Countess Cleo right now, it seemed she had already, at the very least, tried asking Coach Brunt as that would usually be Black Sheep’s first choice. And knowing Coach Brunt, she probably wouldn’t answer her for fear of her precious baby being corrupted by romance, leading to Black Sheep asking someone else.

Maelstrom, who hated the holiday with a passion, did not want to take any part in helping Black Sheep with her questions. While her squirming was fun, it was not worth going through the explanations or teasing about romance. Seeing Black Sheep’s gaze on him, still waiting for an answer, Maelstrom spoke sharply.

“Well, Black Sheep, you’ll have to go to Countess Cleo because I refuse to answer any questions about romance. Ugh, the entire subject is awful.” Dr. Maelstrom shuddered, just thinking about the ridiculous holiday. Black Sheep had raised a hand to cover her mouth, seemingly even more amused, and Dr. Maelstrom sent her a glare.

Dr. Maelstrom has been just about to leave her well enough alone, but no one gets away with making fun of him. _If you want to have fun with this conversation, why not I join in?_

“While I can understand your curiosity, Black Sheep, that doesn’t explain your nervousness. Not to mention, while many of the students have been talking about this deardful holiday today, it’s unlikely you heard about _dates_ unless one of your friends was going on one or you were asked on one,” stated Dr. Maelstrom sharply, slowly smirking.

Black Sheep froze. _Bingo._ It’s one of those options then. Black Sheep seemed to be freaking out after the statement, causing him to sport a wider smirk.

“W-what? No! No, I mean. It’s nothing like that! I just bumped into Gray- I mean, Crackle on the way here and I was worried he would find out I didn’t know about these kinds of things since you know, I don’t want to um, know less than my other peers and be judged because of these things so, I-” Dr. Maelstrom cut her off with his hand. He thought it best to put her out of her misery and he had heard enough. Deciding he’d embarrased Black Sheep enough today, he thought he might be helpful for once in his life.

“Countess Cleo is in her studio if you are looking for her. I must get going now, Black Sheep,” said Dr. Maelstrom, smirking as he walked away, leaving her there shocked. 

While her explanation had sounded like a sound excuse for Black Sheep, her initial reaction and nervous rambling had quite solidified Dr. Maelstrom’s theory. Crackle being involved in some way also made sense considering how close those two had become in the academy year. 

Dr. Maelstrom smirks, back in his good mood as he walks to his next class.

 _Those two are incredibly close, aren’t they? That bond might be of use to me in the future._

* * *

Countess Cleo had just been putting the finishing touches on her dinner menu for the clothing auction she was hosting that month when she heard a knock at the entrance of her studio. Not expecting anyone to come interrupt her while she was working (and a little annoyed someone actually did), Cleo turns to find Black Sheep, their very own raised thief, standing at the entrance across the studio, looking nervous.

Now, Countess Cleo couldn’t say how she felt about having Black Sheep raised on this VILE island after all these years, but even she couldn’t deny that the girl had raw potential. If only her behavior was more . . . _refined_ , she would be an exemplary student and agent. Since she had enrolled into the academy as a student, Cleo had been hoping her classes would help her become more poised and calm, although the results at the moment weren’t quite what Cleo had been hoping. 

Countess Cleo couldn’t say she was particularly fond of the girl either. Coach Brunt was more affectionate and attached to the girl than anything, having a big hand in raising her on the island (a relief for Cleo who hadn’t needed to get involved in raising the hyper child), although whether that was a good thing or not had yet to be revealed.

Waiting for the young thief to say something, and knowing fairly well that she and Black Sheep weren’t close, Cleo hadn’t expected what Black Sheep said next.

“I need help, Countess Cleo.”

Countess Cleo, understandably, had become quite shocked knowing Black Sheep had come voluntarily to her for help. Cleo wasn’t quite so oblivious as to think she was Black Sheep’s first choice, but for her to have needed help so desperately that resulted in Black Sheep eventually asking Cleo herself was quite the surprise. 

Curiosity piqued, Cleo ushered her in, having her take a seat in one of the many chairs lying around. Black Sheep chose a chair near the table Cleo was working at, sitting lightly and taking as little space as possible. Placing the desert menu Cleo had been in the process of making down, she turned to Black Sheep with her eyebrows raised and a questioning look. 

Black Sheep seemed to become embarrassed, shrinking into herself. Becoming surprised yet again (but then again, when wasn’t Cleo surprised as a result of Black Sheep’s actions?), Countess Cleo wondered where Black Sheep’s energy and confidence had disappeared. The girl never seemed able to stop with all her relentless pranks and games.

After waiting a moment, Cleo decided it would be best for her to start the conversation, seeing as Black Sheep seemed incapable at the moment. She leaned forward in her seat and made eye contact.

“And what exactly is this help you desire? If you are asking for help to get out of trouble, then I must tell you Black Sheep -”

Black Sheep interrupted quickly. “It’s not that! It’s just . . . I’ve already asked a few VILE instructors and I didn’t know who else to ask. Dr. Bellum said you would be a good person to ask and sent me to you.”

Well, Cleo had been right in the matter of not being Black Sheep’s first choice. What matter could Black Sheep have asked about that caused Cleo to be the best option for help?

Quite tired of this conversation already, Countess Cleo dryly states, “Get to the point already, Black Sheep. No need for beating around the bush.”

Black Sheep hurriedly nods, lips pursed, and replies, “Well, I wanted to ask about dates?” Black Sheep seems to shrink further into her seat as she rubs her arms.

Countess Cleo blinked.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that Black Sheep?” Cleo asked, wondering if she was dreaming.

“I . . . would like to inquireaboutdates,” Black Sheep repeated in a rushed manner, eyes downcast and face flushed.

Another blink.

“I . . . see,” Cleo replied slowly. As shocking as this was coming from Black Sheep, Countess Cleo couldn’t say she was very surprised. Black Sheep is a young, hormonal teenager so naturally, romance would come into the picture, especially considering how she was surrounded now by people more her age as a result of her admittance into the academy. And though Cleo was loathe to admit, Black Sheep certainly had a charm and beauty that would attract others to her, despite how much Coach Brunt would prefer it not to be. 

The only question Cleo had left was why. Why now? Perhaps someone had caught her eye? Or perhaps she had caught someone else’s eye? The girl was usually dense in matters like these, so Cleo was quite surprised Black Sheep actually understood that someone had asked her on a date. And perhaps, this date could help contain Black Sheep’s . . . _energy_ into something more productive and away from her silly pranks.

“Were you asked on one?” Countess Cleo asked curiously.

The girl twiddled her thumbs, causing Cleo to frown. _Such a vulgar habit._

“Um . . . yes?” The girl seemed quite unsure.

Seeing as this might benefit her, Cleo decided to do what she did best: teach Black Sheep the art of social cues and behaviour.

Cleo clapped her hands. _We must begin at once if we want to finish by the time classes end today._

“Black Sheep, I will teach you everything there is to know about dates,” Cleo replied confidently, nodding. “Do _not_ make me regret this.”

Black Sheep lifted her head, looking at Cleo with big eyes. “R-really?”

Cleo looked away, knowing even she didn’t have the heart to refuse such a look as that. “Yes, really. Black Sheep, this is quite unlike you. You need to be more confident about subjects such as these, or you will never successfully have a date.”

_Now, where to begin?_

Countess Cleo’s gaze became thoughtful, turning towards her wardrobe. _Aha!_

“First rule, Black Sheep: You must always dress nicely to dates. Skirts and dresses are often common, but knowing you, I’m sure a more tomboyish look would be more to your liking.” 

Cleo ushered her student towards the closet, ready to choose some clothing for her to wear.

Black Sheep though seemed quite confused at the turn of events. “W-what?”

“Yes and after choosing some clothes for you, we must go over the etiquette with food, conversation, and behaviour. I will give you some pointers as to make small talk and I’m sure we could fit in some dance lessons and perhaps some makeup lessons if we are lucky. Of course, this would also serve as extra review for my class, so count yourself lucky, Black Sheep.”

Black Sheep, for the most part, was looking incredibly confused and quickly turning pale. Countess Cleo huffed.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic! You asked me to teach you the art of a date and I will! Now, let’s get going. It will take quite a while to choose an outfit.”

Black Sheep turned paler, if possible, seeming to already dread the fashion show about to take place. Cleo snorted internally.

_My, my, how the tables have turned._

* * *

If he had been warned of the inevitable Black Sheep debacle about to invade his space that day, Shadowsan would have said he was not surprised as Black Sheep was anything but predictable, and he had already experienced firsthand the surprising actions she took on a whim during her days at VILE Academy. That being said, even _he_ could not have expected the nature of her request that day that would inevitably lead to changes down the path of her future.

Shadowsan, at the time, had been (threateningly) dismissing the students of his last class of the day when he had heard word from one of his students that Black Sheep was looking for him. Expecting her to find him eventually, Shadowsan had sat down on his mat, cup of green tea at hand as he awaited the inevitable hurricane about to grace his classroom. 

Just as his tea had finished cooling down, he heard a knock at the classroom door. Shadowsan took a small sip from his cup and placed it down.

“Come in, and be sure to not make a mess, Black Sheep,” he replied. 

The door opened to sheepishly reveal Black Sheep, who seemed to be quite jumpy at the entrance. Shadowsan half-expected her to bolt at that moment, but showing true testament to her character, Black Sheep walked in and sat down on the mat opposite of him.

“How’d you know it was me?” she asked, and Shadowsan narrowed his eyes, immediately understanding she was not quite ready to ask her question yet. Black Sheep was not one to beat around the bush once she sets her eyes on something, so it seemed she was scared of the answer herself. Well, Shadowsan could help with her internal struggle. 

“It is not like you to beat around the bush, Black Sheep. If you have a question, spit it out, and quickly, as I do not have much time. And if you do ask, you must be prepared to face the answer,” Shadowsan said gravely. Perhaps it was a question of morals that she had come to ask him about? Did she finally realize she was not fit for VILE Academy and the darkness it held? Shadowsan had been preparing for this day for many years, though he had not quite expected her to come to him, her least favorite instructor, when the time came. 

“Oh, um, yes Shadowsan.” She cleared her throat and stood straighter. “Shadowsan, what exactly is a date?”

“Pardon me?” Shadowsan had not expected . . . this. In fact, anything to do with romance was the last thing he expected Black Sheep to inquire about. She had always seemed above those inclinations that her classmates seemed to have, and while he could blame that on the lonely and sheltered upbringing she had, he had also thought it part of her nature to not care about romance.

“A date. I heard today was Valentine’s Day and the word date being passed around, so I had asked some of the Vile Faculty what it meant, but they all . . . didn’t give me straight answers, except for maybe Dr. Bellum, and so I had no one else to ask but you, sir. I’m just hoping for a direct answer explaining what exactly it is, sir, and then I’ll leave you alone,” Black Sheep rambles, seemingly unsure of herself.

What he, and he’s sure all of the VILE Faculty, tends to forget about Black Sheep is that along with being the brightest thief of her age, she’s also a teenager. Shdowsan never thought he’d be faced with that fact in this way, but Black Sheep did come to him for an explanation, so he feels inclined to help her. Shadowsan has no expertise with romance at all, but he knows enough to at least explain the concept to her. 

Though, before he does that, he would like to know exactly _what_ caused her to ask about this subject matter. “You asked the VILE Faculty?”

Black Sheep nods. “I thought they’d know what it was since it seemed a common enough concept, and they did, but Coach Brunt told me it’s evil and that I shouldn’t get involved with dates, Dr. Bellum said that she had no experience with the subject and redirected me to Countess Cleo but she did explain Valentine’s Day, Proffesor Maelstrom kept making fun of me, and Countess Cleo forced me to go through . . . date training, I think?” Black Sheep scrunches her nose uncertainly. “I had to go through an entire fashion show, dance lessons, and a review of all her etiquette lessons, which was horrible. And so, none of them were really helpful and I’m still confused about what dates are.” 

Shadowsan sighs. That sounds like the faculty. “And why exactly do you want to know about _dates_ so badly, Black Sheep?”

Black Sheep blushes, looking away. “Um, well . . . I got asked on one? I’m pretty sure it’s tied to romance, now that I actually understand what Valentine’s Day is, but I’d rather not go on a date when I don’t specifically know what it is.”

Shadowsan took a deep breath. “You were _asked_ on one?”

Black Sheep nodded nervously.

“And you agreed?”

She nodded again.

Shadowsan massaged his brow in frustration. “Black Sheep, a date is a romantic . . . hangout, shall we say. If two people are romantically inclined towards each other, they will go on a romantic outing that is called a date, where they usually eat food and spend time together to get to know each other more initiamtely. If the date is succesful, the couple can begin the process of dating, which is where they are romantically exclusive for one another and are coined the terms girlfriend or boyfriend towards one another. Does that explain everything?”

Black Sheep’s eyes widened, and her face turned red, but she nodded. Shawdowsan sighed. He was not fit for counseling on teenage romances.

“Now that you know what a date is, do you still want to go on one?” Shadowsan asked, because if she was not, Shadowsan was going to make sure the other person payed for trying to involve themselves with her.

Black Sheep looked down for a moment with a frown, then looked up with a determined expression. “Yes.”

Shadowsan, a little surprised, nodded. “And who exactly was it that asked you on this date and caught your eye?”

Black Sheep ducked her head a bit, and Shadowsan couldn’t help but marvel how she seemed more like a normal girl like this, and not a talented thief stuck in the hands of an evil organization that would corrupt her at any moment.

She cleared her throat. “It was Crackle, sir.” 

_Ah._ Shadowsan had noticed how those two had become particularly close, but he had not expected it to go past a sibling relationship, despite how clearly Crackle was enamoured with Black Sheep. And while Crackle was a fine thief by his own right, he was also part of VILE willingly, entering the darkness of his own accord, while Black Sheep remained the only light in this place. 

That was how Shadowsan’s rational side saw it. His emotional side, on the other hand, was apalled at the audacity Crackle had to be interacting with Black Sheep, someone much too good for him. If Shadowsan didn’t see how Black Sheep might also have feelings for him, he would have found him and made him regret ever meeting her. Of course, Shadowsan would without a doubt still find the boy and give him some _warnings_ regarding hurting Black Sheep. 

Before that though, Black Sheep still needed some guidance. “Did Crackle tell you where to meet him for this date? Do you have any idea about where he’s taking you?”

Black Sheep scrunched her brow in thought. “He told me where to meet him, but I don’t know where he’s taking me.”

Shadowsan nodded. “At the time, go meet him there. Countess Cleo gave you some clothes, I’m assuming?” Blask Sheep nodded. “Wear those, and meet him there.”

Black Sheep looked a little unsure. “That’s all?”

“And try to have a good time, Black Sheep, as dates are for the enjoyment of both the people involved,” Shadowsan added. 

“I . . . see. Thank you Proffesor Shadowsan,” Black Sheep replied, smiling. Shadowsan raised an eyebrow. Black Sheep rarely addressed him with the proper title and respect as part of VILE staff, so this was surprising. 

Black Sheep stood up and nodded her at him, excusing herself. Despite Shadowsan’s reservations about Crackle, he did wish happiness for Black Sheep and hoped the date went well. He, of course, would be checking in on Black Sheep tomorrow to make sure she enjoyed the date. And if she didn’t, well, Shadowsan could make sure to educate Crackle along with those few warnings when he met up with him later. 

_Black Sheep deserves much more than what VILE has to offer._

* * *

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

“Hey, Black Sheep! How are you?”

“Hi, Player. It’s been an . . . interesting day.”

“Oh, really? You have been oddly silent today. Is it school-related?”

“Kinda? . . . You know today’s Valentine’s Day, right?”

“. . . Yeah? I don’t really celebrate the holiday though and it’s not like I have anyone I want to ask out, so . . .”

“Well, I got asked out on a date?”

“Wait, no way! Really?!”

“Haha, yep.”

“Wait, wait, let me guess. Gray, right?”

“Right again.”

“And you said yes?!”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I know I said it would be out soon, but!! I got busy. I finished 4/5s of this fic like a week after the other fic was published, so I was this close to publishing it soon, but then I traveled and . . . I got reeeeaaally busy.
> 
> But! I finished another thing!!! Woohoo! Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> And thanks to Ko_chan for inspiring this!! Their ff was super cute and I got super inspired reading it, which lead to what you see now! (I mean I kinda stole their idea, I'm sorry!! I just loved the thought and had to expand on this VILE silliness.) So thanks again and you guys should definitely check out their ff!!
> 
> Anyways, I will make a sequel (or four sequels) to this but probably not anytime soon. I won't have time to write till I'm back home and even then, I'll have a lot of work, but I'll come back to it one day! (As in, give me a few months . . .) I'm happy to say I actually made an outline for this series, so I have it all planned out! I might change the outline a bit and maybe add some fics that focus more on friendships with other people than the Red Crackle romance, but for now, I'm focusing on those two because they are adorable!!


End file.
